It is normal for a human being to mourn when the earthly life of a "loved one" comes to a close. We believe in God - yes - and we believe in His Eternal Providence - yes again. In the Preface of our funeral liturgy, we acknowledge that whenever God calls a soul home, "life has not ended, but merely changed."
Still, we are saddened just the same. The Holy Spirit will gift the Church with a new Supreme Pastor; a special someone who will surrender his life to become "Servant of The Servants of God." This we believe ... and this we trust.
Yet ... we shall still miss John Paul II. Let us continue to pray for his happy repose; and, lest our tears cause us to forget, let us whisper a "THANK YOU!" -- to him, personally, as well as to God.
Bill Gaudry
St. Catherine of Alexandria Parish
Oak Lawn, Illinois USA